POS0032 TARGETS THAT WORK: IDENTIFYING MODIFIABLE PREDICTORS OF PRESENTEEISM OVER ONE YEAR IN WORKERS WITH INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS
Authors: A. Luquini, H. Xie, W. Zhang, M. Gignac, D. Lacaille
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2023)

<h3>Background</h3> Inflammatory arthritis (IA) impacts work outcomes and workers’ lives. Advancements in treatment have improved work disability (WD) but presenteeism remains a major problem, lacking clear targets for intervention. <h3>Objectives</h3> Identify predictors of presenteeism over 1-year follow-up in workers with IA. <h3>Methods</h3> We designed a prospective observational study analyzing data from the RCT evaluating the Making it Work<sup>TM</sup> program, an online employment intervention. Participants were recruited in 3 Canadian provinces from rheumatologist practices, consumer organizations and arthritis programs. Eligibility: diagnosis of IA, employed, age 18-59, and concerned about ability to work. Presenteeism was assessed at 0-6-12 mos., using the RA Work Instability Scale (RAWIS, range 0-23). Candidate predictors measured at baseline (bsl.) included sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, ethnicity, education, marital status, dependents &lt; age 19); disease variables, (arthritis type, physical function [Health Assessment Quest., HAQ II], disease activity [RA Disease Activity Index, RADAI], fatigue [Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue, MAF], depression [Patient Health Quest. 9, PHQ 9], sleep [Insomnia Severity Index, ISI], number of limiting comorbidities); work-related variables (occupation, self-employment, job strain, arthritis-work spillover, self-efficacy at work, job satisfaction, importance of working, family support for work, no. hours worked per week, job autonomy, physical demand, psychological demands, and decision latitude from the Job Content Quest. [JCQ]). Important bsl. predictors of presenteeism were identified using multivariable linear regression, and linear mixed effect models, with stepwise model selection procedure optimizing Akaike Information criterion (AIC), a commonly used statistical measure and asymptotically equivalent to using cross-validation to compare models. Finally, interaction terms were tested in the model. <h3>Results</h3> A total of 564 participants (mean (SD) age: 45.7(9.9) yrs, 77.8% female, 81.5 % Caucasian, 49.7% RA, 19.7% SpA, 17.0% PsA and 13.7% SLE or another CTD) were recruited. Bsl. median RAWIS (q25,q75) was 11 (7, 15). More job strain, arthritis-work spillover, job physical demand, fatigue, disease activity, and insomnia were associated with worse presenteeism, and better self-efficacy and functional status were associated with better presenteeism (Table 1). Self-efficacy modified the effect of disease activity, physical function and fatigue on presenteeism, and disclosure was associated with greater worsening of presenteeism in women than men (Figure 1). <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study identified key modifiable predictors of presenteeism over one year in workers with IA. These results provide useful information to healthcare professionals, researchers and patients. <h3>Acknowledgements</h3> We acknowledge all participants, co-authors, staff, rheumatologists, clinicians, the Arthritis Society, and consumer organizations (Arthritis Consumer Experts, Fit For Work (AbbVie and Alberta Health Services) and the Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (ASEBP)) for supporting the recruitment for the study. <h3>Disclosure of Interests</h3> None Declared.